Good Morning All, Someone on my Twitter just posted this article.
http://www.lifesapitch.co.uk/opinions/about-time-carrick-got-the-credit-he-deserves/
Seemed like a good read, and thought I would share.
For those who can't access the URL, here's the article.
---------------------
About time Carrick got the credit he deserves
When Michael Carrick bundled into Danny Murphy on Monday night and sent the Fulham man sprawling in the box, it was manna from heaven for his detractors. Typical Carrick, they must have fumed. He does nothing all night and then he almost costs us the game.
It’s hard not to feel sorry for the man sometimes. He’s been with Manchester United for almost six years, he’s won four Premier League titles and one Champions League and yet he remains as unappreciated as a silent guff in a crowded elevator. In fact, ‘unappreciated’ is usually as good as it gets for the ex-Spurs midfielder. A surprising number of United fans, as well as a not-altogether-surprising number of rival fans, openly despise him.
One Man Utd fan on Twitter hates him so much that his Twitter name, and I’ll paraphrase for decency’s sake, is @carrick_is_not_very_good and his profile explains that he is here to “point out how painfully poor Michael Carrick is". It’s a strange way of showing support, but repeatedly linking to YouTube videos of Carrick mistakes through the ages does at least keep him off the streets and away from sharp objects, so we shouldn’t object too strongly.
The truth is that this has been one of Carrick’s best seasons at Old Trafford, not least because he is one of the few midfielders to have remained intact throughout the campaign, biding his time on the sidelines through the early months before becoming Sir Alex Ferguson’s central stalwart. He doesn’t offer much in the way of the spectacular, unless you count his astonishing solo effort against QPR in December, but like the Millennium Falcon, he’s got it where it counts. On Monday night, he racked up 96 successful passes from his 104 attempts, a far higher figure than anyone else on the pitch.
“Statistics!" sneer his detractors, “It’s easy to rack up successful passes when you’re only kicking the ball sideways in your own half."
To a certain extent, they have a point. Statistics can sometimes eclipse what we know to be true. Xabi Alonso’s stats weren’t actually all that impressive, but if you mention his name to a Liverpool fan, there’s a fair chance they’ll pull a battered, greying photo of the Spaniard out of their wallets and then break down in shoulder-heaving tears at the memory of their loss.
So if stats are bobbins, perhaps we shouldn’t mention the fact that Carrick made 22 successful passes from 27 in the attacking third, more than anyone else except for the advanced Ryan Giggs and the excellent Antonio Valencia. Nor should we point out that while Carrick completed 19 out of 19 sideways passes and 26 out of 26 backwards passes, he also successfully passed the ball forwards a whopping 51 times. Fulham’s top distributor Mahamadou Diarra only completed 56 passes of any kind all night.
There are some reasons to despair of Carrick sometimes. His approach to pressing is to trot in front of incoming bogies and stand very still with his arms out, presumably in the hope that they’ll run into him. In mobility terms, if Nigel de Jong is a dodgem car driven by the school bully, then Carrick is a pedalo on a sun-dappled pond, the pilot asleep with his toe dangling in the water. This doesn’t fit in with British ideas of how a midfielder should operate. Generally speaking, we like our midfielders to either have lungs like space hoppers and the defensive instincts of an Alsatian in a scrapyard, or lungs like space hoppers and the ability to lash home snapshots from the edge of the box. Carrick is something rather more laid-back and metronomic and that can be unsettling for some.
But football in the 21st century isn’t all kick ’n’ chase and if England are to have any hope of surviving the European Championships without having their pants pulled down around their ankles in the group stage, they might need someone like Carrick. Keeping the ball, not slamming it into the channels at the first sign of danger, isn’t necessarily a bad idea. One day, perhaps he’ll get the credit he deserves.
Carrick
posted on 28/3/12
Quality passer mate. I'll never say otherwise. I certainly don't think he is "cack".
I do think he is limited though.
posted on 28/3/12
I do think he is limited though.
---------------------
Not in the role he is told to play for United
SAF wouldn't have a player playing in his first XI week in week out for the last 6 or so years for Manchester United in a role where he is limited bud
SAF has decribed him as outstanding this season and Paul Scholes calls him United's 'Rolls Royce'
posted on 28/3/12
Lucas has only managed 1 goal from 123 appearances!
(according to wiki)
Carrick has 14 goals in 172 appearances...
Quite clearly Carrick is rubbish, what kind of decent defensive midfielder only scores a goal every 12.285 games.
What the Lucas stats tell us though is that even though Carrick is a very poor player Lucas is lucky to still be playing professional football.
I have decided to look at a few more premiership defensive midfielders...
Alex Song, only 7 goals in 127 appearances (a lot better than Lucas but still of a lower standard than Carrick who is rubbish)
Javier Mascherano, 1 goal in 94 appearances! This guy is almost as terrible a player as Lucas!
Gareth Barry, 5 goals in 92 appearances is the only defensive midfielder who seems to be anywhere near the terrible standards of Carrick with a goal every 18.4 games...
Even if we look abroad at Busquets he only has 2 goals in 105 games played.
So what seems to be the case is whilst Carrick is an absolutely terrible player it appears that a lot of other clubs have even worse players in that position...
Either that or maybe some people are confused about what exactly a defensive midfielder is supposed to do. Here is a hint, scoring goals isn't really their main job. Though if it was Carrick out does nearly all his competitors at it...
posted on 28/3/12
I've not seen too much of Man Utd this season but he is certainly doing well. But I've said before that one season does not make a career and it does not.
I also feel he is there at DM simply because there is no-one else.
There is a reason your fans used to slate him and there is a reason he does not play for England.
He may make the plane due to injuries though.
posted on 28/3/12
7_T_B We're all cheering you on Muamba! (U5768)
All very valid point if Carrick had played at DM all his career. Unfortunately for your sarcastic post he has not. He has never scored enough goals which no doubt one of the reasons that he is now playing deeper.
He did not when he first arrived at Utd, did not at Tottenham and did not at West Ham. He also never played there for England.
Sorry, what was your point again?
posted on 28/3/12
There is a reason your fans used to slate him
-----------------------------
Yes, they were clueless.
I am glad we have Carrick in our team, he played a big part in us regaining the title from Chelsea and he been pivotal in United winning 4 of the last 5 titles with the possible exception of last season, where his form did dip until the business end
posted on 28/3/12
Outside of his season with Hargreaves (who only really played one full season) he has played deeper and played the DM role for us, like Lucas, Busquets, Song and Barry. You accused him of not scoring enough goals but from that position he has outscored all of the above. I have even heard Man City fans claim Barry isn't a defensive midfielder but he still outdoes him for goals and if I had gone for De Jong the difference would have been even more pronounced.
I did not include England, Tottenham or West ham appearances or goals. United only.
posted on 28/3/12
Certainly stepped up since Anderson got injured again.
I do think he would be more influencial in an "Alonso" role with a genuine DM like Tiote behind him.
posted on 28/3/12
comment by Robbing_Hoody (U6374)
posted 47 minutes ago
Certainly stepped up since Anderson got injured again.
-----------------------------
Carrick and Ando were probably United's best CM pairing last season when they actually got to play together
United's two biggest wins, Blackburn and Brum, had those two in the midfield
posted on 28/3/12
I do regard Man Utd as a bit of a flat track bully in the PL though. I don't mean that as an offence but in games where you've been playing genuine quality I feel Carrick has , not particularly this season, gone missing.
I don't think he is anywhere near the top midfielders of Europe at all. I certainly don't regard him as a complete footballer either.
Lovely passer though and good tekkers as you mentioned.